But if someone entered the Website by clicking through a Google search or typing in the generic URL, there was no way to customize for that customer – until now.

Solodev has created the programming for geographically targeted Web pages for its clients.

How it works is simple. A customer in Orlando could visit the same URL as a customer in Jacksonville, but the message would be specific to each location. There could be a listing of store events in that area, coupons for specific stores, maps to the stores in the area and more.

The location can be refined as far down to specific zip codes or as broad as a geographical range.

For businesses with locations in a variety of areas, this particular programming accomplishment allows the marketer to target their customers with pin point accuracy, instead of casting a wide net hoping to catch something.

An effective content management system will empower a website designer to build a highly functional website quickly and for less cost than a standard HTML website. This is because content management systems typically have a vast amount of functionality already built in them. Furthermore, when system wide updates need to be made or the design changed, this is far easier through the template systems most CMS products use.
 

However it is important to utilize an enterprise CMS vs. an open source or “free” CMS that you can download online. The latter is very hard to keep up-to-date and a website design agency always runs the risk of everything they have worked so hard on breaking once an update is made. This can not only be an issue for the agency, but of course a huge issue for the client as well.   Security also becomes an issue with open source systems since anyone can download the same copy as you and figure out how to break your website. 

While fiction, the episode showcased a powerful truth about blogs – done on a regular basis and with an interesting style, your words and your expertise can reach new people that would be impossible to communicate with in any other format.

While I wouldn’t advocate posting everything your company does in an on-line forum, it’s important to keep the following things in mind:

Next time, we’ll discuss ways to get your blog read!

While similar in the editing tools found in the free programs, enterprise CMS solutions give the user the platform necessary to create customized tools specific to individual business operations not found in free (open source) applications. As an enterprise CMS user, you’ll be able to develop any custom programming quickly and with precise specifications, instead of being forced to take what is available. But if you are looking for the standard functionality found on the other applications, you’ll find those are available on any enterprise solution.
 

In addition, enterprise solutions allow you to create multiple sites over and over. While Joomla and Wordpress won’t allow you to move the functionality and programming from one site to the next, you can easily create multiple sites in no time with an enterprise CMS solution which mirror your brand image.
 

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, an enterprise solution comes with support. With Wordpress and Joomla, there’s no one to call if you get in a pickle. You purchase an enterprise product from a company staffed with people there to help you navigate through difficult times.
 

PROs:

Cons:

Wordpress is relatively new on the market. The designers of Wordpress found that there was a demand for the non-technologically gifted person to spend time blogging. They didn’t know how to create a Website, but they were gifted writers and had a story to tell. They also wanted the customization that was not found with Internet programs such as blog spot and others.

Wordpress works best when someone focuses on blogging because it is focused on being able to add pictures and text quickly and easily. Crafty Web designers have used Wordpress to create entire Websites, although the functionality and plug-ins found in other CMS software is missing.

PROs:

CONs:

Next week, we’ll look at enterprise solutions.

Over the past couple of years, the hidden secrets of how to program a Website have been stripped away. The advances of content management software have made it simple to keep a website updated and current. While there are plenty of products on the market for free and for lots of money, there are distinct differences.
 

Over the next couple of blog posts, we’ll take a look at the different types of CMS and the pros and cons.
 

Let’s start with Joomla...

PROs:

Cons:

In order to present your company’s brand in a coherent and connected fashion, it’s critical to be able to integrate your Website into all your social media platforms, whether it’s a popular service or not.
 

So, how do you link your Website to your social media platforms? For one, you put links to each social media platform you are active in. This is simple to do and most Website designers can easily put the Facebook logo or Twitter bluebird.

When it starts to get complicated is when you need to continually pair your on-line offerings with your social media offerings. For instance, say you wanted to drive people to check in at your restaurant when they are playing Foursquare. You could easily link the top 12 tips people post about your restaurant on your Website or update them. When someone becomes the Mayor of your restaurant, you could quickly run a feature on the new Mayor. You could also alert people through your Website of any specials offered to Foursquare players.
 

Of course, to be quick enough to keep up to date with the latest trends and programs in social media, you need to have a custom content management solution that allows you to add splash pages, updates and new features in a short time frame. The Internet software provided by Solodev allows its users to link into all the latest social media trends and move quickly enough to add new elements and features to your Website to ensure the greatest marketing capabilities.

In order to pull off a successful event, one must make sure every detail is taken care of and any issues are handled quickly.

 In the past, much of the work in event management was done over the phone. People would call or fax in their RSVP and information. Then someone would type all the information into a spreadsheet or some other program – too much was left for human error. Imagine what happens when someone misspelled your top client’s name!

Using the power of the Internet makes event management simple. You can use the internet to collect RSVPs, take payments, determine meals and market upcoming events. Unless you only plan small events, you need more power than is offered in simple tools like e-vite and Facebook events.

That’s where an enterprise content management solution comes in. Solodev offers the most powerful event management software in the market. You can use it to send invitations, collect RSVPs, take payments and much more. You’ll find by using an enterprise CMS, your life will be easier and your events will run smoothly.

Today, it’s easier than ever to track a lead generation source using your Website. And, there’s no better way to track than using landing pages.

Using your company’s branding, a landing page is simply a portion of your Web site where potential customers are pointed to in order to reinforce an offer or the marketing collateral. The page can be simple or complex and either be written to provide information to the customer or can be a form to capture the potential customer’s information.

If you use Google ad words or other on-line advertising, a landing page is simply not optional. You must create one to ensure the advertising works correctly.

In order to effectively display your products, you must include the most pertinent information in the least complicated manner possible. A common way of doing this is to use some sort of inventory management module. An effective module should be clear, concise and easy to navigate for the end user. It is helpful to have the different aspects of the products broken out by categories that will be important for your customer. For example, a car website would want to have specifics about the interior, exterior and performance of the vehicle. A furniture store would want details about the different finishes available on an item, assembly instructions or cleaning and care for the product. Further details should include any sort of return information, reviews of the product from other purchasers and perhaps the payment methods you will take for the product. Having all this information succinctly placed and available will allow the product to “virtually sell itself” and hopefully drive the end user to purchase your product.

After working with many product manufacturers and retail companies, Solodev has developed an inventory manager module that allows our clients to do all the above and more. Managing the inventory module is so incredibly simple. It can even be created by simply uploading an Excel file. Images can be added seamlessly and automatically sized to fit the allocated space on the web page.

Another avenue of handling website management is to train multiple people to work on different aspects of the site. While it is still advantageous to have some sort of primarily responsible party, training multiple people can eliminate the “virtual abandonment” of your site should the webmaster leave the organization. This can be done by department, so the communications team can be responsible for posting press releases, the human resources department can post open positions, and the operations department can keep key organizational data up to date. This avenue also frees up time for the primary contact to take on different responsibilities and tasks. Ultimately this method can eliminate the need for a new hire and broaden the responsibilities of updating the website improving the bottom line of the organization. 

Solodev can help an organization accomplish the above task with ease. One of the most advantageous features of the Solodev software is the permissions system. By setting up different users and categories within the system, departments can be delegated updating their portion of the website so it is constantly being updated while not monopolizing one person’s time. Furthermore, an approval process can be put in place so that one worker can upload an item and their superior can then approve it and publish it to the website. This is incredibly advantageous for any business, but especially to enterprise organizations with a significant amount of content to maintain.